


Heroes

by snxwscene



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-09-27 06:57:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20403571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snxwscene/pseuds/snxwscene
Summary: ❝And the guns, shot above our headsAnd we kissed, as though nothing could fallAnd the shame, was on the other sideOh we can beat them, for ever and everThen we could be Heroes, just for one day❞[Stranger Things S3][Sequel to GONE GIRL]





	1. Swim

"Come on I just got you back, do you really have to go again?"

Billy's voice was muffled, his face nuzzled up in the crook of my neck, strands of my black hair entangling with his dirty blond locks. Over the course of the past month I had been travelling all around the surrounding states, venturing from one art exhibit to another in order to possibly find some new customers and generally get to know some people in the business. He had jokingly suggested that I should set up shop in the mall, legally or not, however soon shrugged off the idea when my jokingly scolding glance lasted a bit too long.

"It's gonna be the biggest one yet, I can't ditch it," I hummed, my fingertips trailing up and down Billy's arm, occasionally lingering above his fairly new tattoo for a few seconds before resuming their previous movement.

"Oh but you can ditch me?"

"You could come with me? You know ..." I suggested with a smile. "Like a road trip."

Skeptically raising an eyebrow, Billy pulled away from my neck to properly look at me. "Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Immediately I let the smile drop from my lips and furrowed my brows, slowly leaning towards Billy with a stern expression. The bed creaked softly, however the sound was drowned out by the music emanating from the stereo across the room.

A chuckle escaped Billy's lips and he grabbed a hold of my head-one hand on either of my cheeks-pressing a swift kiss onto my lips. I attempted to maintain a serious expression but failed terribly, as the corners of my lips arched upwards and the crease in between my eyebrows faded when he softly rubbed his thumb over it.

"I mean technically I do still have to work. I got classes to teach and kids to yell at."

"And mothers to model for. I get it, that's important stuff," I added, patting his right hand that still lingered on my cheek, before I intertwined my fingers with his and grinned at him.

"Yeah. Totally. Maybe I should drag you to the pool tomorrow and just make out with you in front of everyone so they'll stop staring."

"And traumatise the poor little children? Come on now, that's a bit harsh."

Billy chuckled, glancing down at our hands. "Jeez do you ever leave the house? You're so pale, look at that!" He held up his arm next to mine to display their difference in skin tone, him being fairly tan thanks to his job as a lifeguard, whilst my own skin barely showed any difference compared to its state during winter.

Rolling my eyes I swatted his arm away. "Steve does that all the time already, I don't need to hear it from you too!" I whined, letting myself fall on my back. My eyes rested on the ceiling for a few seconds before darting back to Billy, who was still shaking his head in disbelief.

"Come to think of it," he began, shuffling around a bit until he sat with his back against the wall, facing me. I had propped myself up on my elbows on the other end of the bed. "I don't think I've ever seen you at or even near the pool."

I shrugged, exhaling sharply. "There are just always so many people there and the kids piss into the water and it's just all really not for me, you know?"

Billy leaned forward, a cocky grin spread on his face. "Do you even know how to swim?"

In response to the assumption I stuck my middle finger directly into his face and fell onto my back again, letting my head hang over the edge of the bed. For a second I caught caught my reflection in the mirror across the bedroom before I attempted to decipher the title of a new vinyl in the corner, which proved to be rather difficult when everything was upside down.

Shuffling could be heard, and when the blood accumulating in my head started to send a painful throbbing sensation through my skull, I sat back up only to end up directly in front of Billy. He was still grinning triumphantly, hovering over me.

"You do not know how to swim," he asserted, his face now merely an inch away from mine, our noses nearly touching.

"I know how to not drown," I corrected him, stretching my chin forward slightly like a pouting child would. The scent of Billy's cologne made it difficult for me to think.

As though he had read my mind, Billy chuckled yet again. "Seems like someone needs a few lessons, huh? What if something happens to you but I'm not on duty or even there? I'd never forgive myself if I knew full well you would have been fine had I just taught you."

"That's a bit grim. Then again, how could I possibly say no to that?"

At that he immediately pulled back and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

"What, now?" I asked in disbelief, furrowing my brows.

Billy rolled his eyes. "Of course now. There are no people at the pool at night and we clean it right before locking everything up. So there is no valid excuse you could possibly come up with to not have to get in the water. Come on."

He held out his hand for me to grab, looking at me with a raised eyebrow and waiting expression of his face. Reluctantly I got off the bed and followed him out of the room after he had peered around the corner.

"Where are you two going?" Max asked, who was sitting on the couch next to her mother, reading a comic book. Cluttering sounds could be heard from the bathroom, presumably where Billy's father was currently.

"Out," Billy replied, almost sounding annoyed and I gently nudged him with my elbow. He sighed. "Last minute decision to go see a movie. We'd bring you along but it's R-rated."

"Don't stay out too long," Susan reminded us, although it sounded more like a suggestion than anything else. She knew when it came down to it, we were both eighteen and could stay out as long as we wished.

"Again, thanks for dinner, Susan," I said while Billy already headed out of the front door.

I fumbled to slip into my jacket as Susan gave me a warm smile. "Oh anytime, dear." She cleared her throat and continued in a quieter voice. "He's in a pretty bad mood today. Maybe it's best if you stay at your place afterwards. He won't be too happy if he's woken up in the middle of night, you know, light sleeper."

"Oh ... of course. Thank you."

A honk sounded from outside and I sent another smile into their direction before hurrying down the steps leading to the road. I slid into the passengers seat, immediately greeted by music blaring from the speakers and the faint smell of cigarette smoke that I had become so acquatined with over the past few months.

The drive to the Hawkins community swimming pool didn't take more than ten minutes and when Billy walked up to the high fence I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "Trespassing, again?"

Billy chuckled. "It's not trespassing 'cause I work here and have the keys."

"Well if you have the keys, then why should we hop the fence?" I asked.

"I dunno ... fun?"

"Fair enough. But you better not drop me this time."

He let out a groan that quickly transitioned into nervous laughter. "That was one time and you barely even twisted your ankle. Come on, I'm not gonna drop you."

I walked up to the fence and skeptically glanced down at his hands.

"I promise," he said with so much sincerity that I felt my heart melt. How could it all still feel this way after more than half a year?

With a sigh I set one foot down in his hands and, as he pushed me up, held onto the top bar of the rattling chain-link fence.

"You got it?" he asked and I hummed in response, swinging one leg over the top, struggling to get a proper position for my foot on the other side. Billy already took a few steps back, lunged forward and got a hold of the top of the fence within just a few seconds. He swung both of his legs over the top and dropped down on the other side while I still attempted to get my other leg inside, and even took a swift bow.

I finally managed to get both of my legs over the fence and quickly prepared myself for the landing before I let go and dropped down, right into Billy's arms. "Showoff," I mumbled and gently tugged at his hair.

He smiled. "Wait right here, okay? Get ready or something, you can keep on your underwear if you want but you don't have to."

I furrowed my brows as he placed a rushed kiss on my lips and winked at me before jogging off to the small building at the entrance. I shimmied out of my pair of shorts and the t-shirt i was wearing and sat down on one of the sunbeds by the pool, kicking off my shoes. A good minute later I could hear a faint whirring sound and the neon lights flickered before fully turning on, illuminating the abnormally bright blue water.

"You ready?" Billy discarded his shirt on the ground as he walked back outside. When he passed me on the sunbed I pretended to softly push down my non-existent sunglasses.

"Oh Billy you are so-" I mockingly imitated he voices of the middle-aged mothers of Hawkins, but he interrupted me by throwing me over his shoulder.

"I will throw you into the water. Don't test me."

I could hear the smile in his voice and continued. "Oh Billy, if I pretend to drown, will you save me and give me CPR, specifically mouth-to-mouth?"

"Lucy, this is your last warning," he chuckled, stepping closer to the pool.

"Oh Billy. You and your-woah!"

Suddenly I was in the air and in the next second I crashed through the surface of the cold water, arms and legs thrashing around wildly as my head was spinning and I couldn't tell which way was up and which was down anymore. There was another muffled splash as Billy jumped into the water as well, when I finally broke through the surface.

"Look at you, didn't even have to come in and save ya," Billy mused as soon as his head was over water again.

I stuck out my tongue at him. "Told you I know how to not drown. Didn't have to literally throw me right into it though."

He slowly swam towards me until we were right in front of each other. The cocky grin I knew so well found its way back to his lips. "I did give you a fair warning, but you kept on provoking me."

I weakly shoved some water in his direction. "Come on Billy, admit it. You kinda enjoy being gawked at."

He pursed his lips and squinted his eyes at the lights around us before looking back at me. "Maybe a little bit."

"Just a little?" I asked further as I snaked my arms around his neck with a smile. He tilted his head to the side before straightening out his stance so that my hands fell down from his shoulders. I shot him a quizzical look.

"Two lanes, I have to see your technique before anything else."

"Seriously?"

Billy grinned at me, eyeing me up and down before crossing his arms in front of his chest. "First work, then play. I wasn't joking when I said I'd teach you. Come on."


	2. I'll Be Here

The sound of the alarm slowly made its way into my consciousness. Along with the gradually increasing volume of the shrill ringing and Loki howling along with it, I was pulled away from my dream so quickly that I had forgotten all about it by the time I opened my eyes. With a frustrated groan I fumbled to turn off rhe alarm and buried my face in the pillow once I did so.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine." Billy's voice was muffled through the blanket but I could feel him nudging me with his elbow.

"It's too early," I whined into the pillow, which caused him to chuckle.

"It's almost ten, babe."

"See? Not even ten yet. Too early."

When Billy began to slowly move towards the other edge of the bed, presumably to get up, I rolled over and wrapped my arms around his middle. "No," I grumbled, burying my face in his back.

He sank back into the mattress and let out another laugh. "I have to get to work."

"Not for another hour," I reminded him, interlocking my hand with one another when he tried to pry himself out of my grasp. With a sigh he turned around to face me and brushed a few strands of hair out of my face before briefly pressing his lips to my forehead.

"That's when my shift starts. If I'm late again they'll fire me."

Pursing my lips I ran my fingertips along his cheekbones. "If they fire you I'll kick their asses and they'll take you back in no time. Problem solved."

"No doubt about it," he mused as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "But let's avoid that for as long as we can, alright?" He picked up a pair of shorts and slid them on before tossing a shirt in my direction. "What do you want for breakfast?"

I barely managed to catch the shirt and yawned, forcing myself to sit up as well. "I think we still have toast and eggs."

"Got it!" He snapped his fingers in a way that was almost overdramatic before making his way out of the room and, judging by the sound if his footsteps, downstairs. I could hear Loki follow him excitedly.

Another yawn escaped me when I stretched my arms and legs after putting on the t-shirt. I spent a good minute rubbing the remaining sleep out of my eyes before—after a quick pit-stop in the bathroom—heading downstairs as well.

"Psht, you've got food in your bowl, bud. Don't even think about it."

Loki was pacing from side to side behind Billy who was standing by the stove, in the process of making scrambled eggs as far as I could tell. When I arrived at the last step Loki gave up his begging and came bolting in my direction, excitedly wagging his tail as he looked up at me.

"Are you trying to steal food again? Huh? Has Mrs Harrington been spoiling you?"

As though he could understand what I was saying he sat down and gave me a look that seemed almost apologetic until I knelt down and began rubbing his back. Whenever I was away for a few days, Steve—or rather his mother—had agreed to look after the dog, much to Mr Harrington's dismay who didn't like dogs very much.

"Come on!" I got back up and walked over to the back door, placing a chaste peck on Billy's cheek in passing. As soon as I opened the door the warm summer air hit me and Loki immediately ran into the backyard, soon returning with a stick for me to throw. That way I spent the time until Billy let me know breakfast was ready playing fetch with Loki.

I called him back inside and sat down at the small kitchen table, taking a long sip of the coffee before I hesitantly poked my fork into some of the scrambled egg. I could feel Billy's eyes on me as I slowly chewed and swallowed, looking up at him with raised eyebrows.

"What?" He asked, his own food still untouched.

"This is good," I said and he let out a sigh. "You're getting better at this."

"Can't be perfect at everything," he hummed and winked at me before properly digging into the food himself. I rolled my eyes and we spent the rest of breakfast in silence, save for occasional comments on the radio programme.

After getting dressed I cleared the table and put the dishes into the sunk whilst Billy ran a few laps around the yard with Loki. Once they were done I ordered Loki to be a good boy and wait for me to get back, and I then jogged out of the house and to the Impala where Billy was already waiting. His own car had been causing him some trouble recently and he'd decided to take it to a repair shop, seeing as he wasn't sure what exactly was wrong with it himself. The drive to the pool took a bit longer than last night and when I stopped at the side of the road, Billy groaned.

I peered past him and caught a glimpse of Mrs Wheelers neon bathing suit that stood out against the slightly less vibrant attire of her friends. With a grin I grabbed Billy's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Have fun at work."

"Ha-ha," he responded with evident exasperation as he moved his sunglasses to the top of his head and eyed some of the running children through the fence. "I'm starting to run low on patience."

"What patience?" I mused and earned a slightly annoyed glare, which softened when I squeezed his hand yet again. "Kidding. I'll come pick you up at, what, eight?"

Billy leaned over to me, his lips barely touching mine. "That would be great."

I dug my free hand into his hair and closed the already minimal gap in between us; he let out a contented hum. When the tip of his tongue softly nudged my bottom lip I sighed and pulled away. Billy groaned before opening his eyes again.

With a weak smile I nodded toward the pool. He rolled his eyes. "Right. I have to go yell at kids."

"I'll see you at eight," I said as he opened the door and exited the car, leaning back down to look at me once more.

"Make it seven thirty? I don't think I have the nerve for that bullshit today."

I smiled and nodded. "I'll be here."

The familiar crooked grin spread across Billy's face. "You're the best." And with that he shut the door and jogged towards the entrance, soon disappearing into the small red brick building.

I turned up the volume of the radio as I pulled back into the road and quickly found myself in a line of cars waiting to get into the mall parking lot. Fortunately, there were some empty spots still so that I could hurry into the mall's art supply store and pick up some oil paint and a few new brushes.

As I waited in line yet again at the register, I looked around to see way too many people going up and down the escalators all at once. Occasionally someone spotted a friend and waved, or some people bumped into each other and apologized hastily. The amount of vibrant colours and different kinds of music playing from various stores was almost overwhelming. It was a bit sad that Hawkins was losing its small-town charm and a lot of residents were, rightfully so, rather displeased with their beloved and trusted local businesses shutting down one after the other.

I shook my head and turned back around to pay, before making my way down the stairs in order to avoid the crowded escalators. The blaring nautical tune was barely audible over the myriad of voices and I pushed myself through a large group of women who were all wearing spandex.

"...no I mean, that's fine. How about next weekend then? That works better for me anyways."

"I'm sorry. I have to go. Bye."

The girl in front of me left with her change and ice cream and I slowly stepped forward as my friend seemed to be bickering with one of his colleagues. When he turned back around, a wide fake smile on his face as he already breathed in to greet the next customer, he froze.

"Luce! Oh thank god you're back!" Steve called out and motioned for his colleague to come outside. He then made his way around the counter to greet me with a short but tight hug.

"Are you still trying to get a date?" I queried, nodding in the general direction in which the girl had disappeared. Steve let out a long sigh.

"Trying and failing miserably," his colleague called out and I turned around to look at her. She held out her hand for me to shake and so I did as she introduced herself as Robin.

Steve imitated her comment in an annoyed yet mocking manner. When the last customer in the current line left, Robin leaned onto her elbows. "But I gotta say, I'm surprised. You actually have friends that are not children?"

"I told you!" Steve said, dropping the whufd Scoops Ahoy hat onto the counter. "She wouldn't believe me."

I furrowed my brows. "Well to be fair—"

"Luce, please, for the sake of your beloved best friend, don't finish that sentence," he pleaded, almost appearing panicked for a moment.

With a smile I held up my hands defensively when the next customer approached so Robin got back to work.

"To be fair, you are friends with quite a lot of kids," I said more quietly which caused Steve to groan. "Not judging though, I mean you get along well so that's nice," I added, not exactly making the situation any better.

"Sorry that I like my friends and don't exactly feel like I need new ones," he mocked, picking the hat back up. "But you—you're on thin ice, Lockwood. Keep going like this and I might have to replace you."

I pretended to be shocked. "I can't believe you would actually consider that."

He chuckled. "Nah, you're right. I wouldn't. Anyway, movie night tonight? Or do you have plans with Billy?"

"Uh … yeah, I do. But how about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow it is then, don't ditch me."

With a grin I shook my head. "I would never."


	3. Promise

The scorching heat was nearly paralyzing, even though I was seated on a sunbed right next to a large parasol with a cherry slurpee in hand. I was still uncertain as to why I had let Billy convince me to take a day off from working on a commission, however I did have to admit that just laying in the shade with a book and a view was mentally refreshing indeed.

Billy was sitting in his lifeguard chair, towering over the opposite side of the crowded pool that I still shied away from in the daytime. Occasionally he would whistle and stand up to yell at someone, which normally diverted my attention away from the book and towards him. I knew he would never admit it, but aside from being able to release some of his pent-up anger that was certainly still there at most times, he quite enjoyed his job for what it was at heart—helping others.

With a sigh I redirected my attention back to the page I had seemingly been skimming over for the past twenty minutes without really taking in any of the information.

Just as I was successful in focusing properly again, I noticed someone sit down next to me out of the corner of my eye. When I didn't react, the person cleared their throat.

Upon looking up I was met with a vaguely familiar and very sunburnt face. I didn't even remember his name but I certainly remembered him from one of my science classes. He was grinning widely and looked like he had just gotten out of the pool, water dripping everywhere.

I remained silent and looked back at my book demonstratively.

"Lucy, right? We did that chemistry project together one time in junior year, remember?"

I raised my eyebrows, still not glancing back at him. "You mean the project that I ended up doing most of the work for because you couldn't bother to try and understand the questions?"

He chuckled, which came out awfully forced. "I'm Kenny, in case you forgot."

Extending his hand into my direct field of view, a few drops of chlorinated water fell onto the book and slowly seeped into the paper. I bit my lip before forcing a smile and, begrudgingly, setting the book to the side.

"Well, Kenny, you're getting water all over my book so could you maybe scoot over a little?" I asked as sweetly as I possibly could, at which his grin widened before he scooted a little closer to me.

"That's not what I—"

"What's a pretty girl like you doing all alone by the pool?"

I tried not to choke on my drink at the genuine surprise of someone actually trying to flirt with me, out of all people. My gaze wandered over to the lifeguard chair. With a smile I dabbed the bit of cherry flavoured ice eater off my chin before sitting up straight.

"Alright, Kenny, I'm sure you're a sweetheart, but—"

As I spoke his eyes widened slightly, catching sight of something behind me.

"Everything alright over here?" Billy spoke up as he sat down on my other side and quickly leaned over to press a chaste kiss on my lips. Kenny was evidently uncomfortable at this point.

"Yeah, all good," I replied, nodding over to the boy. "This is Kenny, he was just saying hi."

Billy raised an eyebrow and glanced Kenny over with a testing look, still smiling almost exaggeratedly. "Ah yes. Hi."

"Uh yeah, actually I uh—" Kenny smiled awkwardly, eyes darting around the pool for a moment, his ears were red. "I was about to leave anyway so..."

And with that he practically jumped up and powerwalked away from the sunbed. Billy gently nudged me with his elbow and I turned to look back at him; we were completely silent for a few seconds before simultaneously breaking out into laughter.

Once we had calmed down I retreated further into the shade and Billy followed. "Hey, I'm proud of you," I said.

"For what?"

"You didn't even get loud or anything."

He pursed his lips. "Didn't have to."

"Yeah, somehow your mere presence was enough. I mean, did you see his face?" I chuckled again. "Poor guy almost soiled his pants when he saw you were coming over."

As a response Billy simply shrugged, absentmindedly trailing a finger along my thigh. "Are you ever gonna get into the water?" he queried.

I shook my head. "Not in the daytime."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Too many people," he mused.

"That and I'm pretty sure lard-ass pissed himself when you yelled at him earlier. In the pool. Before he got out."

Billy hummed in response as I twirled a lock of his hair around my pinky finger. Heather called his name from across the pool and his head snapped in her direction as she signed for him to return to his post. He turned back around to give me an apologetic smile.

"Only got her to take over for a few minutes. I gotta go back now."

He rose to his feet and pulled me up along with him, reconnecting our lips with each other yet again. With a soft smile I pushed him back slightly. "I think they get it," I whispered with a side-eye to the gaggle of mothers.

"Yeah I know. But I'm not sure he does," he said and nodded into the general direction in which Kenny had fled to earlier. "He's still staring at your butt from all the way over there."

"Well, then let him stare in the knowledge that this is about as close as he's ever gonna get because my butt—"

"Yes?"

"… I'm not gonna finish the sentence. It's weird."

The corners of his lips curled upward in a grin. "What? That you're mine?"

I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "I do not belong to anyone."

"That's not what you said last night though," Billy mused, and I felt the heat rise into my head. I needed to get out of the sun.

"I will throw you into the piss water," I attempted to threaten whilst poking a finger against his chest.

He only chuckled. "Are you sure you're strong enough for that, Lockwood?"

"Wanna go ahead and test your luck, Hargrove?"

Heather called for him yet again and I handed him his whistle. He pressed a kiss to my forehead before he shot another glance in what I assumed to be Kenny's direction and jogged back over to the other side of the pool.

I returned to the sunbed and picked up my book again, spending most of the afternoon reading and occasionally observing the people that came and went.

When the sun began to set, the crowd finally started to disperse, as friends and families disappeared one after another through the exits. I was leaning to the wall next to the changing rooms, while Heather and another male lifeguard ran some nets through the pool before handing over the cleaning responsibilities to a professional.

Billy soon came back outside after having showered and changed. He snaked an arm around my waist as he guided me out of the vicinity and to his car.

"I'm gonna drop you off and then head out to pick up the repair stuff, alright?"

I slid into the passengers seat and he got behind the steering wheel, turning down the music which blared out of the radio speakers the moment the engine turned on.

"Are they even open this late?" I asked as he pulled out of the parking spot and into the road.

He nodded toward the clock. "It's not even nine yet. They close at ten. I'll be back in no time."

"And you're sure you wanna go alone? I mean what if the car breaks down or what if—"

"—and what if every single person in a two mile radius spontaneously combusts? Don't worry so much, okay? It'll take an hour, tops. And if the car does break down I'll find a phone cell. Besides, you and Steve haven't hung out in forever. As much as I wanna be selfish and have you around me twenty-four seven, I think I can spare you for one night."

I rolled my eyes. "How generous of you."

Billy pouted.

"No, I'm serious. I really appreciate it. But I would also appreciate it if you'd drive past and, I don't know, honk when you get back?" Now he chuckled and I exhaled sharply. "Please? For the sake of my sanity?"

"Of course."

With a smile he held the steering wheel with one hand, and grabbed mine with the other. "But you gotta remind me where Steve lives because I have no idea."

I felt a smile tug at my lips and squeezed his hand gently. "Okay, take a sharp left here. And then just follow the road until you get to the cul-de-sac."

"Oh, of course Harrington lives in a cul-de-sac!" he called out with a groan and I chuckled.

"His parents do."

"Yeah, whatever."

The rest of the drive went by rather quietly; Loki had spent the day with Mrs Harrington so we didn't have to pick him up and could go straight to their house. I looked over at Billy whose eyes were so focused on the road ahead he probably didn't even realize I was staring. Or so I thought.

"See something you like?"

"Nah, not really," I teased, at which Billy rolled his eyes, knowing full well I was lying.

"Is that it?" he asked after a while, slowing down the car even further, pointing towards a mailbox with the name Harrington written on it in cursive.

"Yep," I said and he stopped the car entirely, before getting out. For a moment I watched him curiously as he walked around the front and stood next to the passengers side, and then leaned down.

"You gonna get out, or …?"

I opened the door and before I could even properly close it, Billy had pulled my chin up and within seconds our lips melded with one another. As we pulled away to catch our breath I rested my forehead against his, smiling almost uncontrollably.

"I should hang out with Steve more if that's how you'll drop me off every time," I said. Billy rolled his eyes with a grin.

"I should probably get going," he then said, taking a deep breath. I nodded.

"Right. Drive safely, yeah? Promise?" I held up my pinky and he, almost with a humoured expression, interlaced his pinky with mine.

"Promise." He took a small step back. "I think I might head to your place after I'm done. That alright?"

"Of course. That's exactly why I gave you the keys, stupid."

"Your stupid."

"Ew, cheesy," I dramatically grimaced before quickly pulling Billy back down for another chaste kiss. "I love you, stupid."

He smiled, looking at the ground for a split second before looking back into my eyes. "I love you too, stupid."

The front door opened and the lights turned on, Steve stood in the doorway in sweatpants and a t-shirt. "Hey Luce!" he called, eyes travelling over to Billy who was still holding on to my hand. "Hargrove," he added, still smiling, just a bit more reserved.

"Harrington," he responded, squeezing my hand. "I trust you'll take good care of her until I get back, yeah?"

"Jeez, of course. Don't worry about it."


	4. Fever

"I don't get it—is the car possessed or why does it just … do what it does?" Steve asked, his mouth full with popcorn. "Remember that guy who died in the beginning? Maybe it's him."

I furrowed my brows. "I mean in the book it was haunted right from the start. And don't forget the guy with the broken hand before any deaths whatsoever."

"Oh riiight. You know, we might have to watch this one again because, if I'm being honest, I still don't get it."

"Sure, or you could read the book if you want?" I suggested, absentmindedly running my hand along Loki's back.

Steve scoffed. "Didn't you learn anything the last time I borrowed a book from you?"

I rolled my eyes and tossed a few kernels of popcorn in his direction, some of which got stuck in his hair. Steve exhaled sharply and tugged at his hair to get them out again.

"Hey, by the way, how late is it?" I asked as Loki stirred. Steve let out a huff of air before turning around to look at the clock in the kitchen. With a groan he dropped back onto the couch as he clutched his side.

"Oh I think I pulled something," he whined, breathing deeply.

I raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't sound like the time."

Steve lightly smacked my shoulder while I also turned around to glance over into the kitchen. It was nearly midnight. I frowned, tugging at the hem of my shirt.

"Hey, Luce, is everything alright?" Steve asked, immediately stopping his exaggerated complaints about the pulled muscle. I shrugged.

"Billy said he'd honk when passing your house to let me know he got back alright." I pressed my lips together as I stared at the end credits that flashed up on the TV screen without really seeing them.

"Maybe he just forgot. Or he had to head back to his own house? Maybe he forgot something there," he suggested, tilting his head to the side slightly.

I sighed. "I don't know. Hell, I told him I'd come along! I shouldn't have let him go all alone and—"

Steve grabbed my shoulders and held me at arms length, looking at me. "You don't even know if anything happened. I know, you always worry about everything, and I know you can't just turn it off. But please just take a deep breath and consider the possibility that, maybe, he was tired and just forgot to honk."

I had a strong urge to go and check if he really just forgot and maybe was already fast asleep in my room. I held on to the image of him looking so peaceful, spooning a pillow so that I would have to spend half an hour removing it from his grasp without waking him, before I could take its place. In the meantime Loki would have already laid down in his usual spot by the foot end of the bed.

"…could be fun. What do you think?"

Looking up, I found Steve holding up two VHS tapes and I just assumed he'd asked me which one I preferred. "Uh—Cam rented Scarface the other day I think. Alice was raving about it a bit too so let's watch that I guess."

With a sigh, his hands sank to the ground and he tucked both tapes back into their respective plastic cases. When he got up and picked up a jacket I looked at him, confused.

"Let's go check on Billy. I'll drive you."

"Steve, it's okay, I'm probably just over thinking again and—"

He held up a hand to stop me from finishing my sentence. "Like this you're just gonna be distracted for the rest of the night. If it worries you this much we should go and make sure things are okay."

"Is that really okay with you?" He nodded. "You really don't have to drive me, though. I've got Loki."

"Can you stop not wanting to be a burden for one second and just accept my offer? Come on."

He tossed me my jacket and my bag, Loki trailed around the room nervously, sensing how tense I had gotten. I realised that Steve wouldn't take no for an answer and slid into my jacket and threw the bag over my shoulder. Steve was already in the driveway, getting the car started, when I put on my shoes and ushered Loki outside before closing the door as quietly as I could.

"Your place?"

I nodded as Loki curled up in the backseat. It didn't take very long to get there since Steve and I didn't live too far from one another. Although there was no car in the driveway except for my own I jogged up to the door to check whether it was unlocked. It wasn't.

Steve turned his car around immediately when he saw that I came back. Soon enough we pulled into Maple Street. I spotted the Camaro right away, the headlights nearly blinded the both of us and Steve suppressed a groan. "Well, there he is. You wanna hop out?"

"Thank you, really. I promise I'll make it up to you. We could go see Back To The Future? I'll pay."

"Depends if your boyfriend would be okay with that."

I rolled my eyes, feeling a bit calmer now that I knew Billy to be within walking distance.

"I think he's been warning up quite a bit. Maybe you two might even get along one day," I joked and Steve snorted.

"Yeah alright, you're getting a bit unrealistic there."

Now it was my turn to scoff. "Remember when you were a complete asshole? You grew out of it, luckily. Now give other people a chance too."

"Yes, mom. Are you gonna get out before a cop comes along and gives me a ticket?"

"Oh yeah, sure. Again, thank you for understanding."

"Hey, of course. That's what I'm here for." He did an exaggerated wink before motioning towards the door and I got out of the car, Loki following suit as I grabbed his leash.

Despite his previous jokes about getting a ticket, Steve stayed by the side of the road while I walked up to Billy's car. The headlights were still on, however the engine wasn't running. I couldn't tell if he was in the car still, or if he had just forgotten to turn off the lights. Maybe he really was tired.

I stopped next to the passengers side of the car and glanced in through the window. Billy was still sitting inside, hands holding on to the steering wheel and his eyes were fixed on the road. I furrowed my brows as I heard Steve drive past us slowly. Billy's gaze darted to the side for a split second before my knocking against the window distracted him.

When he looked over to me I motioned for him to get out and so he did after turning off the lights. I wrapped my arms around him before he could say anything and for a moment he returned my hug, before he took a hesitant step back. It was only then that I noticed the blood on his forehead, sweaty locks of hair sticking to it.

I glanced back at his car and noticed the broken glass of the windshield.

"Oh my god, what happened? Are you okay? I mean obviously you're not but—maybe you should sit down? Let's get you inside first so we can clean the wound."

Billy was still holding on to my arms, his grip tightening slightly as his eyes met mine and his pupils dilated for a moment. He let his arms fall to his side and clenched his jaw. "You should go home, Lucy."

"Billy. You're hurt. I have to clean the wound to see how deep it is and I have to make sure you stay awake in case you have a concussion. Come on."

I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the front door; he staggered along the way and I was afraid his legs might give in any moment. Billy unlocked the door while I tugged at Loki's leash to bring him up the stairs, but he pulled into the opposite direction. With a sigh I tied the leash to the fence around the back of the house and instructed him to wait for me to come back.

When I got back to the front door, Billy nearly knocked over the dresser in the hallway that contained all sorts of keys and a bunch of decorative items, but I managed to steer him in the other direction. He staggered towards his room and into the bathroom connected to it, immediately running cold water over his hands and splashing it on his face.

"Are you warm?" I asked and he simply nodded. I stripped him of his jacket and he promptly got rid of his shirt as well, revealing multiple bruises all over his torso.

I hurried to sit him down on the toilet seat before retrieving what remnants of a first aid kit I could find in the drawers under the sink.

"Billy, hey, look at me." I gently held on to his chin with one hand and wiped his forehead with a wet towel. He groaned as his eyelids fluttered open before falling shut again. "You gotta stay awake, alright? Can you do that for me?" He nodded vaguely as I began to disinfect the wound, at which he flinched. My hand came to rest on his warm forehead.

"Shit, you're burning up."

"Mhm…" he hummed, and I quickly put a bandaid on top of the cut before guiding Billy back to his room, where I sat him down on his bed.

"Can you tell me what happened?" I asked while I rummaged through his dresser drawers for some clean clothes which I handed to him and he changed into.

"I—I'm not sure," he responded, slurring his words barely noticeably. "Something hit my windshield, a bird or something, and then—" He paused for a moment, his eyes searching the room before they settled back on me. "Then I don't remember anything. I got my car to work and drove back home."

I nodded. "Okay, so that's probably a concussion. You gotta stay awake for a bit more, can you do that?" He moved his head up and down slowly. "Alright. Do you want me to stay?" He hesitated for a bit before repeating his earlier movements. I took a deep breath and picked up his blanket to wrap around him. He groaned.

For the next few hours I kept him awake by asking him some questions about how he picked up the pieces to fix his car and he complained about now having to fix even more. We turned on the radio on the lowest volume possible so as to not wake anyone else, and I almost constantly rubbed my thumb over the back of his hand that was laying in mine.

By the time the sun came up I had to fight off sleep myself and placed my hand on Billy's forehead for what felt like the hundredth time. And for the hundredth time it had gotten warmer yet again.

"I'm gonna run by the pharmacy to pick up some medicine for you, your bathroom cabinet's pretty much empty. Just stay right here and try not to fall asleep, alright?"

"Okay," Billy mumbled, already attempting to shrug off the blanket again.

I leaned over to him and pressed my lips to his forehead before I stood up and walked towards the window at the back of the house, opening it slowly in order to make as little noise as possible. Loki hopped onto his feet immediately, wagging his tail excitedly and I swung my legs over the windowsill.

"Lucy?" Billy called and I turned to look at him. "You shouldn't come back here," he said with a stern look on his face at which I frowned. Then his features relaxed again and he sent a weak grin in my direction. "You know, I'll probably end up getting you sick too."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about that now, alright? I'll be back soon. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

**Author's Note:**

> this is a sequel to GONE GIRL :)  
it is not really necessary to have read it in order to understand this one, maybe only minor plot points that aren't of too much importance here. However, if you do want to know how Lucy and Billy got together and what connects the two, feel free to check out the first part <3  
I hope you enjoy <3


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